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Inspiration: After receiving some beef soup bones in our CSA share, we made our first batch of homemade beef stock and needed a good use for it. Giada’s recipes never disappoint!

What we Loved: This was such a heartwarming Italian style soup with a myriad of great flavors. The rustic tomato, savory beef, nutty Parmesan, and creamy cannelini bean flavors all paired so well together. I tend to use cannelini beans with poultry or with lighter meals, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well they stood up to the stronger flavors in this soup and provided a creamy, nutty taste that was a great addition. This soup is really a wonderful comfort food meal for a cold day. It’s almost like a soup version of spaghetti and meatballs. That’s not exactly the right comparison, of course, but I crave a meal like spaghetti and meatballs when I want all of those Italian comfort food elements like rich tomato sauce and heaps of Parmesan cheese. All of those great elements are right here in this soup.

Helpful Hints: I chose this recipe to use my beef stock, but I should have known that the beef stock itself would be hidden by the strong flavors of the diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Not that this was a bad thing, because the soup was perfect, but if you’re looking for a recipe to showcase the flavor of the stock, something like a vegetable beef soup would fit the bill more precisely.